Our intellect, seeing nothing identifiable in God’s nature, cannot express it in any affirmations, but only in negations, and therefore this science comes to its fulfilment solely with negations.
Source: Commentary on the Mystical Theology of Dionysius - C.1250-1255
Negative ways of doing theology begin… by taking what is clear to us and perceptible to our senses and denying it of God. They proceed in this way, separating everything from God, so that our understanding is left with something unclear, from all that it knowns has been taken away and about which it cannot say what it is.
Source: Commentary on the Mystical Theology of Dionysius - C.1250-1255
I have had the idea of writing something for myself on and about the state of complete and full abstraction from everything and of cleaving freely, confidently, nakedly and firmly to God alone, so as to describe it fully (in so far as it is possible in this abode of exile and pilgrimage), especially since the goal of Christian perfection is the love by which we cleave to God. In fact everyone is obligated, to this loving cleaving to God as necessary for salvation, in the form of observing the commandments and conforming to the divine will, and the observation of the commandments excludes everything that is contrary to the nature and habit of love, including mortal sin.
Source: On Cleaving to God
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